Transcript
Quick Reference
GMS installation Guide A guide to help you install GMS and manage database connections.
CONTENTS System Requirements Microsoft SQL Server and SQL Server Express Resources Downloading GMS Installing GMS Database selection on startup Database Connections Management Create a New Database Connection Local and networked database configurations SOI GMS Support
GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 888 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms Updated November 16
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Minimum Hardware Requirements Windows 7 and above, Intel i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB hard drive. You get much better performance with a faster processor and 8GB RAM. Minimum Ser ver Requirements Most Programs are using NexusDB as their database server. Nexus is an open-source database server with a database size limit of 2 GB. Once a database grows past 2 GB, users will begin experiencing issues with performance, data management and possible data corruption. We highly recommend using Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft SQL Express for this upgrade. This will provide a more stable, scalable DB server for this version and future upgrades. SQL Express is free and supports a database size of up to 10 GB. SQL Server 2014 has costs, and supports a database size up to 16 TB.
MICROSOFT SQL SERVER AND SQL SERVER EXPRESS RESOURCES For more information about SQL Server Express: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/products/sql-server-editions/sql-serverexpress.aspx This page lists the minimum and recommended requirements for SQL 2014: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143506(v=sql.120).aspx
DOWNLOADING GMS Special Olympics, Inc. (SOI) offers free GMS software licenses to all accredited Special Olympics Programs and their users. Understanding that many GMS users are volunteers, SOI distributes the software through each Program office. Programs can request a download of the GMS software by emailing our GMS Support Team at
[email protected]. They will be provided with a link to download and their software registration key.
2 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
GMS v7.2, and above, has a built-in feature that prompts users to download new versions as they are released. This feature helps to 1) notify all users when there is an updated version available, and 2) make it easy for users to upgrade.
INSTALLING GMS GMS is distributed as a single executable (.exe) file. It does not use Windows Installer to install the program onto your computer. The user determines where (location and folder) the GMS executable file will be placed. For a new install: Create a folder on your local drive (suggested name “GMS”). Place the GMS.exe file in that folder. If upgrading from a previous version: On your local drive, in the same folder you have GMS installed, replace your existing GMS.exe file with the new, updated version. IMPORTANT: Once you upgrade to GMS 7, you can no longer use previous versions of GMS (v5.6 or 6) on your database. For additional information on upgrading, please view our Guide to Updating GMS on the GMS Learning Center (http://resources.specialolympics.org/gms/) If installing on a shared drive, terminal server/RDS: Make sure to place the GMS.exe in a location accessible to all GMS users.
IMPORTANT: If installing the 64-bit version of GMS: If you are using the 64-bit version of GMS 7, you need to have the ielib64.dll file placed in the same folder location as the GMS executable (.exe) file. This .dll file is included in the GMS download folder. The Ielib64.dll file is the part of a 3rd party component used in GMS, called ImageEn. It is used for image handling (scaling, cropping, editing etc.).
3 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
Starting GMS: Double click on the GMS7.exe On a new installation, GMS will prompt the user to enter a User name (optional), Organization name, and GMS 7 serial number. Enter this information as was provided to you.
What is an INI file? INI is a file extension (.ini) for an initialization file format. INI files are plain text and, in the case of GMS, used to set parameters for the software.
If upgrading from a previous version, the new .exe file will reference the existing .ini file for the serial number and your existing database connections. Once a registration key is entered, GMS will generate an INI file located in the same folder as the EXE file. The INI file will store the registration key and related information, as well as database connection information and some system preference settings.
DATABASE SELECTION ON STARTUP For a new install you will see a database selection window like this: Select “Tools” then “Setup database connections”. This will open the Database connections window. In the next section we show you how to create a database connection.
4 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
If you already have database connection information stored in your .ini, you will see a database selection window similar to this: On the “Connect to which database” dropdown, select the database you wish to connect to and then select “Connect”. Some configurations bypass the database connection window and connect directly to a default database. In the next section we show you how to set this up.
DATABASE CONNECTIONS MANAGEMENT From the Database selection window select “Tools” and “Setup database connections” to bring up the Database connections window.
5 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
This is where you will manage all of your database connections. You can also access this window from within GMS. From the GMS Main Screen->Administrator tools>Database connections. Existing databases will appear in the left column. Once you select that database, the database connection settings will appear on the right. On the bottom left, you can select your “Default database at startup” and the checkbox for “Automatically connect to this database when GMS 7 starts up” to bypass the Database selection window the next time you open GMS.
Client Database Relationship Many people think that data is stored within GMS itself. GMS is a client that reads and writes data to a database. The database, either Nexus or SQL based, is where the data is actually stored. GMS, as a client, brings data to and from the database so that the user can work with it.
CREATE A NEW DATABASE CONNECTION In the Database connections window, select “Create new” on the upper left of the window. Then select whether you are creating a “SQL Server” or a “Nexus” connection. Nexus (local)
6 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
1.) Enter a “Connection name” and a “Nickname (optional)”. 2.) Change “Connection type” to “Work with local data files directly (only one user at a time”. 3.) Click on the folder icon at the end of “Folder with data files” and direct GMS where to build/store your Nexus database tables. Usually, this is the same folder where the GMS .exe and .ini files are stored. 4.) You can add to the “Notice to show on-screen when this connection is used:” field to have that text show in the GMS Main Screen as a reference. 5.) Select “Save” then “Close”, which will take you to the Database selection window.
SQL Server
1.) Enter a “Connection name” and a “Nickname (optional)”. 2.) Enter the “Server address”. 3.) Enter the “Database” name. Make sure it matches the name of the SQL database you created. 4.) If you are using domain authentication, select the checkbox.
7 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
5.) If you are using server login ID and password verification, enter that information in the “Default server login ID (optional)” and “Default server password (optional)” fields. 6.) You can add to the “Notice to show on-screen when this connection is used:” field to have that text show in the GMS Main Screen as a reference. 7.) Selecting “Test this database connection” will test to see if you have setup the connection correctly. 8.) Select “Save” then “Close”, which will take you to the Database selection window.
NOTE: SQL Server can be run as a local or a networked database. Both require that SQL Server or SQL Server Express is installed on the local machine. The database connection information requirement is the same for either SQL Server or SQL Server Express.
LOCAL AND NETWORKED DATABASE CONFIGURATIONS The following are possible configurations for GMS and its database. For more information, please contact the GMS Support Team. Nexus or local SQL Server instance
Data
GMS
Local (single desktop or laptop)
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[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
GMS
GMS GMS
Server
Data
SQL Server instance
Central database, client direct
9 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
GMS
Data
SQL Server instance
Server
Central database, client (shared drive) Best implemented on a Local Area Network (LAN)
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[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
Data Server SQL Server instance
GMS
Remote Desktop Server
Central database, terminal server or RDS Best implemented on a Wide Area Network (WAN)
11 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
SOI GMS SUPPORT We’re here to help! Email:
[email protected] Phone: (888) 433-1869 GMS Learning Center: http://resources.specialolympics.org/gms/
Thank you!
12 | GMS Support: Email
[email protected] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..specialolympics.org/gms
